Never allow your wanton desires to interfere with the basic needs and interests of others and live simply so others may simply live

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Story Behind The Song . . .

“I’m Just An Old Chunk Of Coal”

Doug Davis | Country Music Classics

Some songs are written because of inspiration while others have been written in times of desperation! According to Billy Joe Shaver, he was just about at the end of his rope when he wrote, “I’m Just An Old Chunk Of Coal, But I’m Gonna Be A Diamond Someday.”

Billy said, “I hadn’t written a song in over a year. And I was having a lot of trouble at that time because I was into a lot of things I shouldn’t have been in and I was strung out on several things about that time. I was really just about at the end of my rope. And about that time I started to realize that I was going down the wrong road and that I definitely needed to change my life’s direction.”

“My son had showed me a place on the Harpeth River near Nashville, Tennessee-a place they called ‘The Narrows.’ It was an old cliff that was real high and it took quite a climb to get to the place. Close to the top of that cliff was a hollowed out place and to me it looked like several altars that had been made by water or the wind. This particular spot had a kind of spiritual feel about it.”

The Narrows at dusk

“I was raised in a religious family so this place and that feeling just sort of stuck in my mind. I got down on my knees and started praying. I asked the Lord to please help me write a song and to help me straighten out my life. By the time I started down that cliff, I was singing, “I’m just an old chunk of coal, but I’m gonna be a diamond someday.”

Sunrise at the Narrows

Billy added, “The song is a good song to sing when you get up in the morning. That song has really helped me and I think it has helped a lot of other people too because it has a positive message.”

“I’m Just An Old Chunk Of Coal” was John Anderson’s 10th chart single. It entered the country music charts March 28th, 1981 and peaked at # 4. It was on the country music charts for 16 weeks.

My Pledge to the Readers of this Blog

The progress of social justice is slow and measured. Its growth depends on an increasing number of us becoming aware of the truth and consequences of our actions.

I believe that it is morally wrong to allow our wanton desires to interfere with the basic needs and interests of other sentient beings.

I believe the physical and psychological abuse – confinement, social deprivation, mutilation, genetic and reproductive manipulation, and profit exploitation – imposed by us on other animals is morally wrong.

I believe the suggestion that the exploitation of other sentient beings by humans can be achieved without cruelty, violence, or injustice is false and misleading.

As an advocate for all life, committed to compassion and justice, I refuse to take part in the exploitation of other sentient beings or to collaborate with those caught up in such injustice.

I pledge to do my best to live a life that conveys a clear, sincere and uncompromised message that is free of resentment, fear, exploitation, anger, cynicism, and manipulation.

Furthermore, I pledge to continue to support a broad range of nonviolent initiatives and programs that will hopefully one day eliminate the needless pain and suffering we inflict upon all the many wonderful creatures with whom we share this planet.